ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist
The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Company. In 1932, RCA became an independent company after the partners were required to divest their ownership as part of the settlement of a government antitrust suit.
.svg) Final logo, used from 1968 to 1987 | |
 RCA's former headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Center, 1933 to 1987 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media Electronics |
| Predecessor | Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America |
| Founded | November 8, 1897 as Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America |
| Founder | Guglielmo Marconi |
| Defunct | 1987 |
| Fate | Acquired by GE in 1986, various divisions sold or liquidated, and Trademark rights sold to Thomson SA in 1988. |
| Successors | General Electric RCA (owned by Talisman Brands) RCA Records (owned by Sony Music Entertainment) NBC (owned by Comcast) |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York, U.S. |
Key people | Owen D. Young (first board chairman) David Sarnoff (first general manager and third president) |
| Products | Radios Vacuum tubes Phonograph records Electric Phonograph RCA Photophone Televisions CED Videodisc TV station equipment: Studio cameras Videotape machines Film chains TV transmitters TV broadcast antennas Satellites Video game consoles |
| Parent | GE (1919–1932, 1986–1987) Technicolor SA (trademark rights only, 1987–2022) Talisman Brands d.b.a Established Inc. (trademark, since 2022) |
| Divisions | RCA Records NBC RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video RCA Services |
Free of its original ownership, RCA emerged as an innovative and progressive company, and became the dominant electronics and communications firm in the United States for over five decades. In the early 1920s, RCA was at the forefront of the mushrooming radio industry as a major manufacturer of radio receivers, and the exclusive manufacturer of the first superheterodyne sets. The company also created the first nationwide American radio network, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). RCA was also a pioneer in the introduction and development of television, both black and white and especially color television. Throughout most of the company's existence, RCA was closely identified with the leadership of David Sarnoff. He became general manager at the company's founding, served as president from 1930 to 1965, and remained active as chairman of the board until the end of 1969.
During the 1970s, RCA's seemingly impregnable stature as a leader in technology, innovation and home entertainment began to weaken as the company attempted to expand beyond its main focus of the development and marketing of consumer electronics and communications into a diversified multinational conglomerate. Additionally, RCA began to face increasing domestic competition from international electronics firms such as Sony, Philips, Matsushita and Mitsubishi. RCA suffered enormous financial losses in the mainframe computer industry and other failed projects including the CED videodisc system.
Though the company was rebounding by the mid-1980s, RCA never regained its former eminence and was reacquired by GE in 1986. This was during the Jack Welch era of GE, and Welch began selling off or liquidating most of RCA's assets to keep only NBC. Today, RCA exists as a brand name only; the various RCA trademarks are currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment and Vantiva, which in turn license the RCA brand name and trademarks to several other companies, including Voxx International, Curtis International, AVC Multimedia, TCL Corporation and Express LUCK International, Ltd. for their various products.